The capital had not calmed down. It had simply shifted its battlefield.
Rumors did not spread randomly. They moved like organized supply lines, flowing through teahouses, taverns, academies, and official residences, linking conversations into something larger than gossip. By the time the sun reached its peak, the name Liu Maopao had already circulated through every major district of the city, carried not by coincidence but by deliberate amplification.
People spoke in lowered voices, yet their words carried weight.
"Have you heard? That scholar Liu Maopao stood in front of the largest restaurant in the capital, waving a folding fan as if he owned the place, openly criticizing the court. He said the emperor delayed national affairs for personal grief and missed the opportunity to strike Shengjing."
"Of course I heard. The man must be tired of living. A mere xiucai daring to say such things in public, as if titles grant immunity from consequence. This is not courage. This is a death sentence written in his own hand."
Such conversations repeated everywhere, but what mattered was not the content. What mattered was consistency. Every retelling sharpened the accusation, refined the narrative, and aligned the emotional response. By the time the story reached the ears of the court, it no longer sounded like one man speaking. It sounded like the beginning of a consensus.
Inside the palace, Zhu Youjian felt the pressure immediately.
He had spoken clearly in the previous court session. No one was to mention the matter of war or peace again. His words had not been casual. They had been an assertion of authority, a line drawn to stabilize a court that had revealed its opportunistic nature too openly.
Now that line had been crossed.
If he ignored it, his authority weakened. If he enforced it, he would confirm the accusation. Either way, the system tightened around him.
"Where are the Jinyiwei?" he demanded, his voice striking the table with controlled anger. "Such a lawless individual still walks free. Why has he not been brought before me?"
Cao Huachun lowered his voice, careful and precise. "The Jinyiwei thousand-household officer Mi Qingli has already mobilized his most capable men. They are searching every corner of the capital. It should not take long."
The emperor said nothing more. Silence became his only defense, but even that silence carried tension. The court machinery had been activated, yet beneath the surface, another system was already operating faster, quieter, and far more efficiently.
In a modest residence tucked into an unremarkable street, Liu Maopao sat calmly with a cup of tea, as if the entire capital were not hunting him.
The door opened.
Mi Qingli stepped inside without ceremony and took a seat across from him. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes remained alert, measuring the space, the exits, and the man in front of him.
"This street is secure," he said. "I am personally responsible for searching every house here. No other Jinyiwei will interfere. For the next few days, you should not leave."
Liu Maopao smiled faintly, as if the warning were a courtesy rather than a necessity. "Do not worry. I will not create unnecessary trouble for the Shield Bureau."
Mi Qingli returned the smile, though his carried less warmth. He stood and turned to leave, but before he reached the door, Liu Maopao spoke again.
"Brother Mi, do you regret it?"
The question stopped him.
"Regret what?" he asked, though he already understood.
"Leaving the emperor. Joining Gaojiacun."
The room grew quieter, not because of the words themselves, but because of what they represented. Loyalty was no longer a simple axis. It had become layered, conditional, and subject to reinterpretation.
Mi Qingli did not turn around. He spoke with a long breath, each word weighed carefully.
"I am still loyal to the emperor. That has not changed. But I also understand something else now. He cannot win against your system. I joined not only to preserve my own life, but to ensure that when the time comes, I might still protect him."
Liu Maopao leaned forward slightly. "So if we decide to remove him, you will oppose us?"
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
"If the emperor's life is threatened, I will stand against you, even if it costs me everything."
Liu Maopao raised his thumb in approval. "Loyal."
Mi Qingli shook his head. "Standing here, speaking with you like this, I have already failed that loyalty."
He left immediately after, his footsteps fading into the street. The moment he disappeared, the floor behind Liu Maopao shifted.
A concealed panel slid aside.
From beneath, Bin Sheng emerged, his movements efficient, practiced, part of a system that did not rely on chance. He gestured downward.
"Manager Liu, it is time. Staying here is no longer optimal. If Mi Qingli changes his mind, you will be captured."
Liu Maopao did not argue. He lifted his robe and descended into the tunnel, following Bin Sheng through a network that twisted beneath the city like hidden veins. Turns, narrow passages, vertical shafts. Each segment served a purpose, not only for movement but for control. Entry points, exit points, redundancies.
They emerged from a well into a different compound entirely.
At a stone table in the courtyard sat Sun Chuanting and Chen Qianhu.
Liu Maopao greeted them with effortless familiarity. "Uncle Sun, Uncle Chen."
Sun Chuanting frowned immediately. "Still calling everyone uncle, I see."
Chen Qianhu reacted very differently. His eyes lit up with surprise. "You are not afraid of me?"
Liu Maopao laughed softly. "I know you. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside. A truly good man."
The effect was immediate and overwhelming.
Chen Qianhu's eyes filled with tears as if a dam had broken without warning. "Manager Liu… you… you understand me…"
Sun Chuanting watched the scene with a mix of amusement and disbelief. This was not accidental. Liu Maopao did not simply say what people wanted to hear. He invested effort into understanding what they lacked, then provided it with precision.
Recognition. Validation. Identity.
Then Liu Maopao spoke again.
"I brought you something from Dao Xuan Tianzun. A song."
Chen Qianhu blinked through his tears. "A song?"
"Yes. Have it recorded. Broadcast it through Gaoxin News. It might produce an interesting effect."
He began to recite.
"I may not look impressive, but I am gentle. My exterior is cold, but my heart burns with intensity…"
Chen Qianhu broke down completely, sobbing without restraint.
Sun Chuanting pressed his fingers to his temple, half laughing, half sighing. This was absurd on the surface, yet entirely consistent beneath it. Emotional leverage was still leverage. In a system war, even a song could become a tool.
"Enough," Sun Chuanting said finally. "Let us speak of the next step."
Liu Maopao's expression shifted. The warmth remained, but the calculation surfaced beneath it.
"The next step is expansion. Scholars across the provinces will begin criticizing the emperor. Not as isolated voices, but as a coordinated wave."
Sun Chuanting nodded slowly. "Nationwide pressure."
"Yes. We did not need to move this early, but the emperor has created the opportunity himself. His recent decisions provide the perfect leverage point. This is not merely criticism. It is demonstration."
"Demonstration of what?"
"That a system where one man decides everything is fundamentally flawed."
Sun Chuanting exhaled, long and thoughtful. "I am still a loyal minister."
Liu Maopao tilted his head slightly. "Loyal to what?"
"The country," Sun Chuanting replied. "Not necessarily the court. Not necessarily the emperor."
The distinction settled heavily into the space between them.
"Emperors change," Sun Chuanting continued. "Dynasties fall. But the land remains. If loyalty is misplaced, then it becomes a weakness instead of a virtue."
Liu Maopao smiled. "Spoken like a headmaster."
Sun Chuanting raised an eyebrow. "No more 'uncle'?"
"This time, the title must match the respect."
Before the conversation could deepen further, noise erupted outside the compound walls.
Voices. Loud. Official.
"Jinyiwei conducting investigation. We are searching for a fugitive. All residences will be inspected."
Sun Chuanting stood without hesitation and walked out to meet them.
Moments later, his voice could be heard clearly.
"You are searching my residence?"
The Jinyiwei froze.
Recognition spread instantly.
"Minister Sun… we did not know…"
"You are diligent," Sun Chuanting said calmly. "Continue your work elsewhere."
There was no resistance. No suspicion. Only immediate compliance.
The Jinyiwei withdrew.
Inside the courtyard, Liu Maopao watched the exchange with quiet interest.